The Police Service Social and Welfare Association came in for severe criticism from a parliamentary watchdog committee yesterday for its lack of interest in the events of March 23, when co-ordinated police roadblocks virtually shut down the country resulting in the loss of millions of dollars to businesses and thousands of motorists being forced to sit for hours in gridlock.
Chairman of the Joint Select Committee Independent Senator Dr Rolph Balgobin waded into president of the police association Anand Ramesar for his cavalier attitude to the matter. The session took place at Tower D, Waterfront Complex, Port-of-Spain.
Ramesar said it was a coincidence that 19 police stations embarked on roadblock exercises on the same day, insisting that the association’s salary negotiations were unrelated to the event.
Balgobin expressed concern that in instances where the association made threats stemming from stalled salary negotiations there appeared to be a parallel organisation being established in the Police Service.
“As a citizen of this country I would take grievous, grave objection to someone in whose arms I have put a gun abusing their authority to make a point in relation to a negotiation for wages.
“That for me in democratic terms I would find utterly frightening and I think that is where the country has reached in its conclusions,” Balgobin said.
“The entire country has been invited to conclude that there is a nexus between the ongoing negotiations with the Chief Personnel Officer and the actions of Monday the 23,” Balgobin said.
He told Ramesar that his presence before the JSC meant that he must give a clarification which went beyond, ‘We have nothing to do with it.’
“Because what you are inviting me to then conclude is that this is the work of someone who is very intelligent who gives themselves enough room for plausible deniability.
“So everything is organised and orchestrated and then you stand one side to say this has nothing to do with me and so you wipe the instrument clean so forensically we cannot identify you. But for all intents and purposes the public has concluded that your association has a central role to play in this matter,” Balgobin said.
Ramesar denied that either he or any member of his organisation gave the directive for the total policing operation.
Strange the divisional commanders unaware—SSA
Head of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) Bisnath Maharaj said he found it “very strange” that no divisional commander was aware of the total policing operation.
Maharaj, who also spoke at yesterday’s JSC, said it was also strange to say that all commanders lost control of their divisions.
On whether the electronic communication system had broken down on that day, Maharaj said he had no reports of that.
He said he did not know who gave the directive for the operation to be carried out.
Executive director of the National Operations Centre (NOC) Garvin Heerah said he was also clueless about the operation. He said on that day he too was out of the country.
When members of the Special Branch appeared before the committee, ACP Earla Christopher requested that the session be heard in camera.
The session was then suspended for about 20 minutes.
Upon resuming, Balgobin gave a synopsis of what was said, noting that it appeared the Special Branch also had no knowledge of the operation.